To say that the Spring and Summer of 2020 have been unique would certainly be an understatement. Many of us had become very comfortable and complacent in our daily lives and have now seen them disrupted in ways we never thought we would. Sure, we knew that the events of the past several months were possible in theory, but I can’t imagine any of us genuinely thought they were something we might actually experience. Undoubtedly, these circumstances will lead to a great number of books about them, but we are lucky that one of the first is this short essay collection from Zadie Smith. In elegantly unpretentious prose, she captures her thoughts on life during lockdown and the larger social reckoning on race that has been taking place at the same time. She effortlessly pivots between witty and poignant, with many passages that are worth highlighting to revisit and ruminate over at greater length. Some sections are immediately relatable, while others lead to an examination of ideas from a new perspective. Zadie herself acknowledges that this book only captures the beginnings of what may turn out to be a long process, but it’s hard not to come away feeling like she may have done so definitively. ★★★★ – Sean Farrell

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★★★★★ = Excellent | ★★★★ = Very Good | ★★★ = Good | ★★ = Fair | ★ = Poor